The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is urging active Nigerian youths to engage in agribusiness as a means to address the country’s food insecurity and unemployment challenges. This call was made by NYSC Director General Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu at the 3rd Agricultural Youths Summit in Abuja, where he was represented by Abe Dankaro, Director of Ventures Management at NYSC. Nafiu emphasized that the agricultural sector offers vast opportunities for innovation, job creation, and national development, especially when driven by young Nigerians.
Nigeria is currently grappling with high youth unemployment and rising food‑security concerns, and the agricultural sector is seen as a potential solution. According to Nafiu, agribusiness is rich in potential but needs young minds to drive its transformation. To that end, NYSC has partnered with Leventis to build a new generation of “agripreneurs” equipped not only for farming but also for entrepreneurship. The partnership aims to create self‑reliant, job‑creating, and economically empowered youths who will take agriculture to new heights of innovation and enterprise.
Nafiu encouraged youths to see themselves as nation‑builders armed with knowledge, resilience, and purpose, rather than merely job seekers. Ahmed Manti, Chairman of the Leventis Foundation Nigeria (LFN), also highlighted the need for improved access to agricultural financing to support smallholder farmers and scale youth‑led agribusinesses. Limited access to agri‑financing and the preparedness of smallholder farmers to secure such funding remain major challenges that must be addressed.
Strengthening investment in agriculture is a key policy tool for boosting productivity and achieving food security in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The Agricultural Youths Summit seeks to strengthen the agricultural ecosystem and drive economic development. By promoting agribusiness and supporting young farmers, Nigeria can potentially tackle its food‑insecurity and unemployment challenges while advancing national development.
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